West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-01-20
REVIEW OF TRADE.
Reports from Ccntcrs Indicate mn
Unusual Volume of business

The peculiar scarcity Of fresh and exciting
events during the past week Is not n bad
sign. Production aud distribution have gone
ON 50 IA ely that the euormoIi magnitude
OF transactions r. no, by all appreciated, nor
i' attention 6X,d by startling Ichaugcs Tor
better or for worse. But evidence abound,
OF tho unusual volume OF business
bank tx,hanSci throughout tho
country aud traffic returns bear testimony ns
To stribu,ion, while agricultural and man
utacturiug statistics show that pro luctiuu
has hardly ever bsen grelter. Westbouu 1
rail shipments In Dc,cmb,r wsre never
equalloi except in lSsl Tn, final crop re-
port OF tho Agricultural Bureau, showing n
yield last year OF 5000 .0JO bu,hsls ct
whelt 1,60i,OJ0 bushels of prn aul 62t, ,O0O,-
900 buihcls OF oats statcs that tho far nors,
while setting moro for their corn and oats
than I'm 1885, averaged only 6S 7c for wheat
against ~ tc in 1885, but the low price was
dus 10 the enormous surplus caus N by spec-
ulative control OF markets,
Iron production, 10y many decmsl the best
. barometer, was I'D So tons weekly January
l against l2l, 2Gl December L. having in-
creased $40 per cent during the year. In
spite OF an output eXcee ilug S.O75 600 tons In
sx months prices hlvo risen uutil t2l 1,
demlndoi for No anthracite, S39 is quote
for steel rails al mills, aud Western nail
makers on Wednesday raised their pric,
from e. 40 10 40. Meanwhile German pro,
ddction OF iron was less in Octobcr, 1880
than In 1885, an for ten months ot the year
| l2iS per cent less Coke production ID in.
| creasing; 900 now ovens are n be added In
In the Mi Pleasant district Of Penmyluania
The grain markets have changed character
Europe bought heavily for some months, vr.
tually controlling the market In spite OF
speculatorA Sncs New Ysar's Foreigners
are selling, in the belief that prices will gc
lower, and last Tuesday Chicago helped &c
brsak dowh the prcea cent But subsequent
recovery prompts suspicion that large
| spccuators are buying, and the markets
are now in speculative hands. Corn and
| oats CLOSED shade lower, oil u cont
lower, cotton l~lG lower pork % cents lower
and lard Is cent lower than a week ago. Tn,
cattle market Is also depressed, aud British
prices OF Amsricau.besf are lower. Coffee
floats upward ca lily at present. having
gained "a cent for the week but the specu.
lators have work ahead when supplies com,
| forward largely. 3 lyer advanced nearly i
in London. The dry goods market is steady
az TO prices, and fairly active for the season
though "A waiting policy prevails az 10 wool
ems.
Money Is abundant aud cheap heavy dis
bu.semonts OF corporal aud firm profits be-
ing slowly AFFORDED by investments For,
eign exchange has risen rapidly toward th,
point at which gold may be exported, bank
ers begin TO remark that part of tho amount
recently imported could we'll be spared
Foreign sales OF securities here
appear 10 have balanced accounts for the
moment, bat the scale does not yet turn D.
far that gold goes out. Exports continu,
large, though OF wheat smaller OF late IN
December. The value OF breadstuffs export
cd was thirteen million dollars against ton
million dollars in 1885, and for six month";
seventy eight million, two hundred thousand
dollars against flfty-two million, nine hund-
red thousand dollars in 1885.
The Treasury took In nearly two million,
gold, half a million silver and as much OF 10
gal tenders during the past week But the
receipts Of silver at tho custom houses have
risen above 20 per cent OF all receipta